London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Ealing 1933
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ealing]
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47
PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL OVER, INFECTIOUS
DISEASES.
The numbers of cases of the various infectious diseases notified
during the past twelve years are indicated in Table V, which shows
that during 1933 a further increase occurred in the total number
of cases of infectious disease notified. This increase was almost
entirely due to the unusual prevalence of scarlet fever. There
was also a slight increase over the previous year in the number of
cases of diphtheria and of pulmonary tuberculosis, while a marked
decrease occurred in the number of cases of pneumonia.
Table v.
| Disease | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smallpox | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Diphtheria | 282 | 56 | 61 | 40 | 72 | 53 | 68 | 90 | 129 | 83 | 54 | 71 |
| Scarlet Fever | 487 | 142 | 123 | 107 | 156 | 136 | 313 | 231 | 264 | 154 | 407 | 476 |
| Enteric Fever (including Paratyphoid) | 3 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Puerperal Fever | 3 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | — | — | — | — | 3 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 26 | 18 | 21 | 28 |
| Pneumonia : Primary | 33 | 32 | 47 | 57 | 47 | 66 | 73 | 100 | 78 | 96 | 85 | 56 |
| Influenzal | 22 | 7 | 27 | 22 | 17 | 38 | 13 | 59 | 12 | 18 | 50 | 32 |
| Acute Poliomyelitis | — | — | 3 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Cerebro-Spinal Fever | — | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| Malaria | 4 | 2 | — | 2 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 |
| Dysentery | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Erysipelas | 22 | 17 | 25 | 17 | 15 | 18 | 28 | 24 | 34 | 20 | 30 | 36 |
| Encephalitis Lethargica | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Tuberculosis :— (a) Pulmonary | 69 | 92 | 74 | 90 | 93 | 89 | 99 | 109 | 111 | 141 | 141 | 154 |
| (b) Non-Pulmonary | 16 | 26 | 31 | 25 | 21 | 16 | 24 | 27 | 22 | 27 | 27 | 23 |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 10 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 8 |
| Total . | 955 | 393 | 412 | 381 | 442 | 469 | 665 | 675 | 700 | 577 | 832 | 895 |